Retaining plate for a door or drawer cam lock



March 31, 1970 F, J, RUSSELL ETAL 3,503,233

RETAINING PLATE FOR A DOOR OR DRAWER CAM LOCK Filed June 5, 1968 United States Patent O Calif., assguors to Norris Industries, Inc., Los Angeles,

Calif., a corporation of California Filed June 5, 1968, Ser. No. 734,616 lut. Cl. Eb 9/08 U.S. Cl. 70-370 7 Claims ABSTRACT 0F THE DISCLOSURE A retaining plate for anchoring a lock assembly on a door or drawer. The door or drawer has a circular mounting opening therethrough and a pair of cutouts formed contiguous to the opening. The lock assembly includes a partially threaded lock housing adapted for mounting in the opening and a fastening nut for engaging the threaded housing so as to clamp the lock assembly between the faces of the door. To anchor the housing against rotational movement, a retaining plate is disposed between one face of the door and the fastening nut. The retaining plate is nonrotatably mounted over the lock housing through an aperture formed in the plate. A pair of anchoring tabs protrude from the plate in engagement with the cutouts in the door. A pair of anti-looseni-ng tabs are formed on the retaining plate so that the surfaces of each anti-loosening tab extend beyond the faces of the plate prior to engagement of the fastening nut. After the fastening nut is tightened, the lock assembly is restrained from rotating due to the engagement between the anchoring tabs and the cutouts, .and the fastening nut is prevented from loosening due to the tension forces applied between the door and nut by the anti-loosening tabs.

This invention relates generally to door lock installations and particularly to a retaining plate for engaging the lock housing and the door so that the lock assembly is prevented from rotating in the mounting opening.

In the installation of certain types of locks, such as cam locks for cabinet doors, it is customary and economical to 'mount the lock in a circular opening drilled through the door. Usually the only provision for preventing the lock assembly from rotating is the pressure between the assembly .and the door surfaces when the fastening nut is securely tightened onto the lock housing. After continuous usage, however, the fastening nut is likely to loosen slightly so as to allow the lock assembly to rotate in the mounting opening. This just described problem may be prevented by configuring the mounting opening in the door to the shape of a noncylindrical lock housing, but such a procedure greatly increases the time and expense of installing the lock assembly.

It is, therefore, among the objects of the invention to provide a new and improved retaining device which may be easily included in a lock installation so as to Securely anchor the lock housing in place.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel retaining plate which can be fitted on the lock assembly without modification of the assembly and which is adapted for engaging the lock housing in the door so as to prevent the lock housing from rotating in the door.

Another object of the invention is to provide a retaining plate of the type described which incorporates anti-loosening tabs for preventing the fastening nut, which clamps the lock assembly onto the door, from loosening. j

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved retaining plate for preventing a lock assembly from rotating or loosening, and which may be economically produced to be compatible with any configuration cam lock housing.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts ofthe device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE l is a side elevational View of a portion of a door and jamb structure and of a lock installation, incorporating the principles of the subject invention, mounted on the door.

FIGURE 2 is a partially cut away vertical sectional view of the lock installation taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a partially cut away horizontal sectional view of the lock installation taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective exploded view of the various parts of the lock assembly and of the mounting opening in the door.

In the embodiment of the invention chosen for the purpose of illustration, there is shown a fragment of a door 10 having mounted thereon a lock assembly embodying in part a lock core indicated generally by the yreference character 12. The lock core or housing 12 has top and bottom arcuate threaded surfaces 14 and 15, respectively, flat side surfaces 1-6, and an annular facing `flange 17. A portion of the lock core 12 contains a rotating key plug 18 in which is a keyway 19. When a key, not shown, is inserted into the keyway 19 and rotated, it rotates the key plug :18 to which is attached a tailpiece 21. The tailpiece 21, in turn, is connected to and manipulates a cam latch (not shown) which serves to lock the door 10 to a jamb structure 22 in a conventional manner. A setscrew 23, which is threaded into a rear surface 24 of the lock core 12, serves as an alignment guide for the cam latch.

Ordinarily, the lock core 12 is mounted on the door 10 through a circular mounting opening 26 which is formed by drilling a hole, of a slightly larger diameter than that of the arcuate threaded surfaces 14 and 15, through the opposite faces of the door 10. A trim plate 27 tits over the arcuate threaded surfaces 14 and 15 and is retained .on the lock core 12 by the rear face of the ange 17. In accordance with the conventional installation procedures, the fastening nut 28 is threaded onto the arcuate threaded surfaces 14 and 15 of the lock core 12 until the outside face 29 and the inside face 30 of the door 10 are engaged by the inner surfaces of the trim plate 27 and the fastening nut 28, respectively. However, as explained previously, this frictional engagement between the arcuate threaded surfaces 14 and 15 of the door 10 and the trim plate 27 and the fastening nut 28 is inadequate to securely anchor the lock core 12 on the door 10, especially as against the rotation inducing torque applied in manipulating the key plug 18 during ordinary and continued use of the lock.

To securely anchor the lock core 12 against rotational movement relative to the door 10, there is provided, in accordance with the principles of the subject invention, a retaining plate indicated generally by the reference number 32. The retaining plate 32 consists of a disc 33, preferably of metal, having a circular perimeter 34. The central portion of the disc 33 (not shown) is removed by a punching or stamping operation, so as to form an aperture 35 and tabs 36, 37, 38, and 39. The aperture 35 is defined by arcuate upper and lower edges 40 and 41, respectively, and straight side walls 42, with the dimensions of the aperture 35 being slightly larger than the corresponding dimensions of a transverse cross section of the lock core 12 so as to permit the disc 33 to slide freely into position over the lock core 12. Although the shape of the aperture 35 has been selected herein to be compatible with one of the more popular configurations of lock cores, it is understood that, in accordance with the principles of the invention, any configuration core may be utilized and the aperture 35 may then be configured similar in shape to a transverse cross section of the selected core.

Anchoring tabs 36 and 37 protrude inwardly so as to be projected toward the door 10, and in the door are provided cutouts 43 and 44 for engaging tabs 36 and 37, respectively. The cutouts 43 and 44 may 'be easily added to the circular mounting opening 26 by making parallel saw cuts outwardly from the opening and then chiseling out the cutout pieces (not shown). The Width of the cutouts 43 and 44 is selected so that a close fit may be provided with the side surfaces of the tabs 36 and 37, respectively. Although two anchoring tabs are shown, it will be understood that only one tab and its corresponding cutout need be employed. Also, in the selected embodiment, the cutouts 43 and 44 are shown as extending through the door 10 from one face to the other,.because such cutouts are easiest to make for the normal installation. It should be noted, however, that in accordance with the invention, the cutouts need not extend through the door 10, and cutouts formed in only one face of the door 10 could be effectively employed.

The anti-loosening tabs 38 and 39 are bent or twisted so that the upper and lower surfaces of each antiloosening tab 38, 39 protrude beyond different faces of the disc 33 and, once again, although two-antiloosening tabs are shown, adequate performance may be secured with a single anti-loosening tab.

When the lock assembly is installed in the door 10, the trim plate 27 is first fitted over the lock core 12 so as to engage the rear face of the flange 17, and the lock core 12 is then inserted through the circular mounting opening 26. Next, the wall of the aperture 35 is positioned around the lock core 12 and the retaining plate 32 slid into place so that the anchoring tabs 36 and 37 engage the cutouts 43 and 44, respectively. Finally, the fastening nut 28 is threaded onto the lock core 12 and tightened so that the assembly is clamped between the inside face 30 and the outside face 29 of the door 10.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that the new and improved retaining plate 32 is capable of obtaining all the several objects herein previously set forth. In particular, the fitting between the retaining plate 32 and the lock core 12 prevents rotational movement between the lock core 12 and the retaining plate 32; and the engagement between the anchoring tabs 36 and 37 and the cutouts 43 and 44, respectively, prevents rotational movement between the retaining plate 32 and the door 10, thereby securely anchoring the lock assembly against twisting in the circular mounting opening 26. Further, the surfaces of the anti-loosening tabs 38 and 39, which protrude beyond the faces of the disc 33 prior to tightening the fastening nut 28, are compressed as the fastening nut 28 is tightened, so as to provide tension forces normal to the faces of the door 10 and thereby prevent the fastening nut 28 from vibrating loose. Also, it Will be understood that the retaining plate 32 may be produced from a single piece of metal in a single stamping operation in which the aperture 35 and the ta-bs 36, 37, 38, and 39 are punched and shaped in one die, thereby providing an efficient retaining plate of extremely inexpensive and simple construction.

While the invention has herein been shown and described in what is conceived to be a practical and effective embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new in support of Letters Patent is:

1. An anchoring combination for anchoring a lock assembly on a door having a mounting opening therethrough and at least one recess formed in the wall of the opening, said combination comprising a lock housing for said lock assembly adapted for mounting through said opening lwith a portion of said lock housing overlying one side of the door, and fastening means on the other side of the door for clamping the lock housing between opposite sides of the door, a plate on said other side of the door having an aperture adapted to fit slidably over the lock housing with the aperture and housing having complementary noncircular shapes whereby the plate is nonrotatably mounted on the housing, and at least one anchoring tab protruding from said plate into engagement with the recess, said fastening means being engageable with the housing and the plate whereby said lock assembly is anchored against rotational movement relative to the door when said plate is held in engagement with said other side of the door by the fastening means.

2. The anchoring device of claim 1 with said plate further having at least one anti-loosening tab formed thereon, said anti-loosening tab being shaped so as to provide a tension force between the door and the fastening means when said plate is held in engagement with said one face of the door by the fastening means.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the aperture in said plate is substantially of the same shape as a transverse cross section of said lock housing.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein said recess is a cutout contiguous with the mounting opening and said anchoring tab protrudes from said plate at the periphery of said aperture.

5. The device of claim 2 wherein said anti-loosening tab is twisted relative to said plate so that portions thereof lie outside the plane of said plate prior to engagement of the fastening means.

6. A device for anchoring a lock assembly on a door, said door having a mounting opening therethrough and at least one recess formed on one side of the opening, said lock assembly including a lock housing adapted for mounting through said opening, and fastening means for clamping the lock housing between opposite faces of the door, said anchoring device comprising a retaining plate having an aperture adapted to fit over the lock housing with the aperture being so shaped that the retaining plate may be nonrotatably mounted on the housing, and at least one anchoring tab protruding from said retaining plate so as to be engageable with the recess, whereby said lock assembly is anchored against rotational movement when said retaining plate is held in engagement Awith the one face of the door by the fastening means, said retaining plate comprising a pair of antiloosening tabs formed on said retaining plate, with each anti-loosening tab having surfaces extending beyond the inner and outer faces of the retaining plate prior to the engagement of said fastening means, whereby said anti-loosening tabs provide tension forces between the door and the fastening means when the fastening means clamp the retaining plate and said core in engagement with the door.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,312,643 3/1943 Hoettels 70-370 2,518,399 8/1950 Thompson 151-35 2,745,275 5/1956 Jacobi 70-370 8/1964 Denim 292-212 3/1966 Little 248'-27 MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner 5 ROBERT L. WOLFE, Assistant Examiner U.S. C1. X.R. 

